This application is based upon French Application No. 99 12414, filed Oct. 1, 1999, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is claimed under 35 USC 119.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for guiding a flap of a closure or tightening mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device used in conjunction with an article of sports footwear, and which has at least two semi-rigid overlapping flaps. The device is preferably intended for binding the article of footwear, in the form of a boot, e.g., onto a sports apparatus, especially an apparatus used in a gliding sport, such as an in-line roller skate, that integrates therewith the article of footwear. More particularly, the invention relates to an article of footwear including a tightening mechanism which, in addition to a device for tightening the two flaps, includes a structural relationship for guiding one of the flaps beneath the other.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In the field of sports boots, as in the field of devices for binding a sports boot to a gliding element, it is often necessary to ensure that the foot is properly held, either for reasons of efficiency in practicing the sport, or for reasons related to safety. To this end, it is known to equip his type of boot with a semi-rigid upper, or to equip the upper with semi-rigid upper components, such as a tightening collar. These uppers or upper components are most often equipped with overlapping portions, that can be position over one another, and which are adjusted by a tighten mechanism around the user""s foot. Generally, for a good functioning of the boot, the relative position of the flaps with respect to one another is unique. Specifically, a lower flap must be located beneath an upper flap, when the flaps overlap. However, during use, the flap that should be underneath, i.e., the lower flap, frequently ends up on top.
This problem is particularly crucial when the flaps are designed to enable a complete opening, for example, in an ankle tightening collar of a walking shoe, a cross-country ski boot, or a roller skate boot.
Patent Application EP 819 390 describes a roller skate that includes a flexible liner retained at the front and rear in rigid components of the upper. Moreover, above the ankle, two semi-rigid portions of the upper ensure the holding of the user""s lower leg due to a tightening mechanism having a notched strap. In this skate, the semi-rigid components of the upper, called flaps, are sized to never overlap because they are short. This choice males it possible to avoid the problem of incorrect relative positioning of the two flaps, but this can be achieved only at the expense of adequate holding of the user""s foot and the comfort thereof. Indeed, in the central zone, the holding is not done by either flap, but by the notched strap.
Patent Application EP 500 479 and family member U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,052 disclose a ski boot constituted by a semi-rigid upper including four tightening hooks which can be divided into two groups. The hooks of the bottom of the foot close the bottom flaps of the boot. During normal use of the boot, this portion of the boot is not provided to open completely. Therefore, no device has been provided to prevent the flaps from incorrectly engaging with respect to one another (see FIG. 5 of EP 500 479). The top hooks, on the other hand, ensure the tightening of a portion of the upper that opens completely to allow putting on the boot. To limit the problem of incorrect engagement of the flaps with respect to one another, one of the elements of the tightening mechanism has been brought closer to the free end of one of the flaps (see FIG. 6 of this document).
If such an arrangement prevents the tightening of the flaps when they are incorrectly positioned with respect to one another, the user""s attention is necessary however to ensure a correct engagement of the two flaps.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a device that ensures the perfect engagement of the two overlapping flaps.
The present invention primarily applies to any closure or tightening mechanism and, more particularly, that which is intended for an article of footwear, or any binding device including at least two rigid or semi-rigid elements, referred to as flaps, which overlap during the closing of same, or the adjustment of the article of footwear or of the binding device, thus defining an upper flap and a lower flap, the footwear, or the binding device, also being equipped with a tightening mechanism. In order to resolve the problem posed, the present invention provides for equipping the article of footwear with a structural arrangement that ensures the guiding of the lower flap beneath the upper flap, the guiding arrangement prohibiting the engagement of the lower flap over the upper flap.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tightening mechanism includes two fixed portions, each of which is attached onto one of the flaps, a movable portion ensuring the linkage between these two fixed portions, and a keeper ensuring the guiding of a movable portion. In this embodiment, the arrangement for guiding the lower flap beneath the upper flap, which is constituted by at least one ramp, is associated with the tightening mechanism, the ramp or ramps particularly being arranged on the keeper ensuring the guiding of the movable portion of the tightening mechanism.